by Jonathan Christie…….
“The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.” In Cyprus, the sun feels warmer, the air is crisp almost alive! The water is clear and salty. At night the full moon is magnificent, and when the moon hides, the heaven’s open up! Gazing upon the stars has a strange effect of people, it really takes you on a journey to the beginning of time and across the universe by bringing you into yourself.
A perfect phrase if I ever heard one, “Come to yourself” I believe it’s the Turkish equivalent of Calm down, but it seems to have a much deeper meaning. In Cyprus I really have come to myself in the sense that I am more comfortable being myself and sharing that with friends and loved ones. Here, we tend to move away from planning a life, from the “rat race” and start doing something maybe lost to us in our busy life, we tend to live life.
I was fortunate enough one night to take a trip to the Karpaz peninsula, the panhandle of Cyprus. We got a bungalow at a beautiful restaurant/holiday retreat ‘Burhans place’ on Golden Bay Beach. Far away from any city or town lights and after the sunset we were gifted with a clear night sky, we could look into infinity, and speculate on the wonders of life, its magnitude and triviality.
You could see the glowing Milky Way strewn across the night sky, all those billions of stars, bright enough to gently light the sea and give and amazing backdrop to a wonderful adventure. One of those moments that leave you awestruck, a memory that will grace your imagination through the rest of your life.
The stillness is what brings you to yourself, in the distance you can hear the Mediterranean swaying with the current, occasionally the bray of a wild donkey, Letting your mind wander and taking in all of what you are. These are the moments when you can really learn a lot about yourself, what I learned, is that no matter how busy the world gets, if I take a breath and come to myself, things become simpler, and easier to accomplish.
This is one of many experiences to be had in northern Cyprus, just one night gaining some silly form of self-enlightenment. Not to say that every day brings such amazing opportunities, but every day is a surprise. The ancient ruins which make you feel too young, the open heavens which make you feel too small, and the vibrant life that makes you feel alive. All these leaving you not with a sense of purpose or meaning, but rather a sense of reflection, and possibly, gratitude.
Time lapse of Earth spinning through Space
Burhans place has destroyed by the government to make way for a large hotel the dark skies will be gone for ever